Flossing for Floss: Let’s Celebrate Dental Hygiene Month
In honor of Dental Hygiene Month, and to help encourage patients to floss daily, SmileMakers is giving away $1000 of dental floss to one lucky winner!
How to Stay Dental Hygiene Friendly During Halloween
Halloween candy is on the shelves and people will be eating all kinds of sugary treats during the holidays. But this is the time of year that dental professionals can raise awareness and remind people of the oral care habits that will keep their teeth strong and healthy.
The Science Behind a Smile
World Smile Day is on October 15th, and since happy grins are the name of the game at SmileMakers, we’re interested in everything from healthy teeth to the science behind your smile.
Engage Your Community and Your Patients with a Candy Buyback Program!
Halloween is right around the corner, and that means it's time to start preparing for this year's Candy Buyback Program! Not sure what a Candy Buyback is? SmileMakers explains how it works and how to get one started at your practice!
Trick or Treat! Is Your Office Ready for Halloween?
Themed stickers add excitement to an upcoming holiday and make children happy at the end of an appointment. Stickers are a tried and true way to please pediatric patients, and SmileMakers easy online ordering makes it simple to stock up on prizes for your office.
Designing Your Office? Ask the Experts at Form & Function
SmileMakers knows that pediatric healthcare spaces require even more attention to detail to make a practice appealing to both parents and children. Deborah Wiswesser, owner and designer of Form & Function Interior Design, explains the importance of process and consulting the professionals.
Your Office Needs a Toy Vending Machine! Here’s Why.
Remember the excitement that would build when your parents gave you a quarter for the toy machine? With SmileMakers Capsule Vending Machines, your office can be the place that little ones associate with positive memories!
The Importance of Community Engagement & Identifying Your “Why”: An Interview with Dr. Bryan Packard
Interested in engaging in your community? Don't know where to start? Dr. Bryan Packard of Precision Dental in Bowling Green, Kentucky lends some advice in this SmileMakers exclusive interview. Read how he's getting involved and how he found his "why".
The Comprehensive Pediatric Optometrist Toolkit
As an optometrist, you're familiar with the essential tools for treating patients: lens bars, a retinoscope, a binocular indirect ophthalmoscope, and an entertaining fixation object. But having the right tools doesn't necessarily mean you're creating an experience that pediatric patients will enjoy. Here are a few SmileMakers suggested - and more importantly kid-approved - tools for your kit!
The Science Behind Incentivization: 3 Ways to Reward Your Young Patients
Crying, tantrums, anxiety - it's stressful for the child, the parent and for you. Luckily, SmileMakers has studied the science of incentivization, and come up with a few ideas of how to apply the reward system to your practice.
Local Marketing Tips From a Dentist That's Tried It All
We’ve brought in Dr. William Sung, a dentist from Houston, to share his experience and offer some advice. To kick this off, we’ll be discussing one of the most pressing concerns for dentists: local marketing.
Don't Let Your Patients Take a Vacation From Their Oral Health
Research has shown that, during the summer, your patients are less likely to remain disciplined with their oral health. If you're looking for a few ways to help your patients maintain good oral hygiene habits through the summer and beyond, SmileMakers has you covered.
5 Ways to Help Your Practice Avoid Getting Stuck in a Slump
A few days without many new patients might not seem concerning, but when these days turn into weeks and the weeks into months, there’s a problem. SmileMakers has five tried-and-true methods to beat the slump and keep your practice fresh and inviting.
What to Look for When Buying Stickers for Your Practice
Stickers are a tried and true method for rewarding pediatric patients and remain one of the most popular forms of gift-giving today. To help our clients, SmileMakers is pulling back the curtain and revealing how to optimize your sticker shopping experience!
What to Look for When Buying Pediatric Toys
Even on their best days, pediatric patients can be a challenge. Our merchandising team works around the clock to ensure we provide pediatric toys for children of all ages. We focus on safety, affordability, and fun!
Your practice is growing. Here's how to scale with it.
Experiencing real growth is often a sign that you're going the extra mile for your patients. We're here to help you you navigate this exciting time and prepare for this growth in the future with a few ideas that'll help make the transition easier.
Top 5 Management Mistakes Private Practices Make (And How to Avoid Them)
At SmileMakers, we understand the unique challenges that medical professionals face. So we've identified five common practice management mistakes that have immediate solutions.
Efficiency: The Key to a Successful Practice
If you're looking for ways to increase efficiency in your practice, SmileMakers has compiled a list of four simple management solutions that can be implemented immediately.
Thinking about rebranding? Here's what you need to know!
SmileMakers has teamed up with Dr. Gene Brabston, who recently rebranded his own practice. With his help, we've identified five key questions to ask yourself before rebranding your practice.
Time-saving techniques for your practice
To help jump start your journey towards efficiency, SmileMakers has compiled a few time-saving techniques you can immediately apply to your office.
5 Affordable Ways to Keep Pediatric Patients Entertained During Inpatient Stays
Here are a few affordable events and activities you can host to entertain your pediatric patients without breaking the bank.
Creating a Safer Space for Pediatric Patients
If you're looking to take your pediatric health and safety to the next level, SmileMakers has a few ideas to ensure your patients are the safest they can be!
Pediatric Dentistry Tips: How to Incentivize Every Return Trip
Here are a few ideas SmileMakers has compiled that may help your younger patients look forward to every visit. You can customize them to fit your practice, and use them with great success to help pediatric patients be more enthusiastic about their treatment.
Does your website make a good first impression?
Because websites have become more important, it's now vital that your online presence is a positive reflection of your practice. But without knowing how to achieve the perfect look, it's easier said than done.
Finding the Right Pediatric Prizes: SmileMakers Staff Picks
Our SmileMakers Associates have put a lot of time into ensuring that we only offer helpful, engaging products for your practice. Every one of our associates has a favorite toy! We asked a few to tell us about theirs.
No Patient Left Behind: How to Create an Inclusive Practice
There are many disabled, allergic or elderly patients that cannot receive their preferred healthcare because it has not been made accessible to them. If you're looking to be more inclusive, SmileMakers has a few ways you can make your practice inviting to everyone.
Scratch Practice Dos and Don'ts! With Dr. Zeeshan Moorani
To help you work through these next few months, SmileMakers has teamed up with Dr. Zeeshan Moorani, a successful Pediatric Dentist from San Antonio who just created his own scratch practice. Using Dr. Moorani's advice, we have assembled a few ‘Dos and Don'ts' to help make your new practice a success.
Beyond the Prizes: Updating Your Practice to Attract Kids and Parents!
With some parents being extremely protective and guarded, their experience at your practice is almost as important as their child. SmileMakers knows that creating a trustworthy family practice is a priority for most dentists, so we've gathered a few ideas to help you appeal to even the most anxious parents.
An Impression that Sticks with Hypoallergenic and Latex Free Stickers!
Now that SmileMakers stickers are Manufacturer Certified Hypoallergenic and Latex Free, they're an even better prize choice. Read on and find out why stickers remain a hit with patients and practices alike.
The Case for Customization: Why You Should be Personalizing Items Now!
With recent advances in ordering customizable products, along with tools like online previews and digital file uploads, buying custom merchandise is easier than ever. With the right supplier, ordering products tailored for your practice is incredibly uncomplicated.
5 Tips for Treating Children in your General Practice: Making Your Minor Patients Feel Majorly Important.
Not everyone has the natural gift to deal with kids, or is certified in pediatric care. Despite this, caring for children is a necessary part of the job and can be fun with the right mindset.
A Latex-Free Office Is Possible: Eliminate Allergens in Your Office
Working in the healthcare industry, this is an understandable concern for you and your patients. SmileMakers understands your concerns and will help explain how to handle the allergens in latex, along the changes we've made to our products to ensure that they are allergen and latex free!
Valentine's Day is just around the corner- Show your patients some love!
Valentine's Day is coming up fast, but this year there is no reason to panic. While thinking of how to spoil your significant other, it might also be a great time to do the same for your patients. SmileMakers knows that patient appreciation is an important part of any successful dental practice, and Valentine's Day is the perfect time to show your patients some gratitude.
Ending Dental Anxiety: How Fidget Toys Help Keep Patients Calm
More than 15% of the US population struggles with some form of dental anxiety. That means you're likely to see a distressed patient weekly or even daily. There's no cause for alarm though, we now understand more about dental anxiety than ever before and have become increasingly more confident in treating it.
5 Essential Grass Roots Marketing Tactics to Get Patients to Your Practice
Cultivating interest isn't always easy, but the good news is that most people are actively looking for healthcare professionals they can trust! Referrals, sponsorships, and outreaches are all effective ways to put yourself out there. With this in mind, SmileMakers has some refreshing ideas on getting new patients to walk through your doors!
Evaluating Goals and Finding Opportunities: A Year End Checklist
Evaluating the performance of your practice over the past 12 months allows you to learn from mistakes and note areas of improvement. Here are some suggestions from SmileMakers on ways to learn from this past year and build momentum heading forward.
Get More, Do Less: How to Simplify Your Purchasing
Being in healthcare, you probably joined the industry expecting to spend most of your time caring for patients. Unfortunately, all the other details involved in running a practice can draw your attention away from that purpose. An easy way to eliminate some of the distraction is to consolidate your suppliers. Using a smaller number of vendors, or even just one, has many advantages, and SmileMakers will explain them all here.
Chairside Manner: Why It Is Important and How It Shapes a Successful Practice
Patients hate feeling like customers, and it's obvious to them when they aren't valued. Undervaluing a patient is the quickest way to lose them. SmileMakers explains why improving your chairside manner is important and how to accomplish it.
Balancing Quality and Pricing: Bulk Purchasing Without Losing Product Quality
Running a successful practice involves far more than simply being a good doctor. But chances are that you didn't minor in business, so related details are often learned on-the-job or through the advice of friends or family. Sometimes, that advice includes untruths or half-truths that can hurt your business in the long run.
How to Teach Patients to Value Their Healthcare
SmileMakers understands that healthcare is an industry, but marketing and running your practice needs more than regular business strategies. For patients to value healthcare, they must believe their health is worth more than money.
Event Marketing Success Is Within Reach!
Growing a practice takes a lot of time, energy and creativity. Trying to reach a new audience, or even gaining prominence in your own community, is difficult. While the purpose of healthcare is to help people, it is a business. Advertising is essential for acquiring new patients. This is where a fun event can outperform many other marketing tactics.
Why You Don't Have More Reviews, And Why You Need Them… Now!
No one likes feeling judged, especially when online anonymity gives unsatisfied customers the ability to be honest about their experience – even when it's not what we want to hear. However, not all reviews are bad, and learning how to encourage and procure the good ones is of the utmost importance to the growth of our practice.
Social Media 101: Posting For Impact
What was purely social just a few short decades ago has now carved out a home in the world of business. Social media is definitely here to stay. But it's youthful guise and ever-changing algorithms are nothing to shy away from. In fact, the benefits that these marketing giants have to offer can't be ignored. At least they shouldn't.
Connection, Flow and Prizing: The Psychology of Patient Satisfaction
We all know that patient satisfaction is important. But understanding exactly what satisfies a patient will help guide us to good reviews and patient loyalty. Interestingly enough, satisfaction hinges on three main factors: Connection, Communication and Incentivization.
Service Recovery: What is it? Why is it important? How to achieve it.
A loyal patient base is the foundation of every successful practice. But it can be difficult to build and maintain your list of returning patients without understanding the ins and outs of service recovery. This concept deals with both client satisfaction and client retention. And once mastered, it can help your practice thrive.
Better Budgeting: Crushing Overhead for Profitability
All of those expenses that keep your business going – utility bills, office supplies, payroll – make up your overhead. But how do you get that number to a point that helps you increase profitability?
Get On Their Level: How To Relate To Pediatric Patients (Especially When Peds is Not Your Specialty)
Making sure adults feel comfortable with procedures, treatments, and you as their doctor, is one thing. But kids are a whole different story. Here are a few tips to help you get on their level.
Is Your Front Desk Costing You Patients? Common Problems & the Solutions To Get Your Office Back On Track
If you suspect that your front desk is costing you patients, it's time to figure out what's going wrong and find some solutions. SmileMakers has put together a list of common issues and how to fix them.
Tangibility vs. Technology: Why Going Totally Digital Could Hurt Your Recall Program
Automated texts or emails to confirm and remind patients of appointments are enormously helpful to your staff. But can going exclusively digital hurt your business?
4 Easy Ways to Improve Your Patient Retention
How do you get patients to trust you, to feel that they can come to you with any issues, and to make the whole process easy? We have 4 ways to get you started!
Step into Augmented Reality!
You may have heard of Augmented Reality (AR), the futuristic technology that kids think is super cool. But what is it? And how does it apply to you? Let's explore augmented reality, and how SmileMakers helps doctors use it to entertain tech-savvy kids.
A How-To Guide to Filling Your Schedule with More Appointments
Whether you're looking for new patients, or you'd like to see some familiar faces in your office, we have a few ways to help fill your schedule with more appointments today!
Get Their Attention and Make It Work for You: 5 Ways to Leverage Internal Marketing in Your Office
You already know that your current patients are your best source for new patient referrals. But did you know that they can increase your revenue, too?
One Stop Shop! How to Consolidate Vendors (and Choose the Right Ones)
With so many products to purchase for your office, and so many different vendors to choose from, it's easy to get caught up in the order and reorder cycle – and inevitably blow up your budget.
Show Off Your Best Work! Mastering the Art of Before and After Photos
If one picture is worth a thousand words, imagine the benefits of having both before and after shots.
Make The Most of Your Work Day: 4 Ways to Simplify Things in the Office
With mounting paperwork, endless phone calls, a full inbox, and giving each patient the attention they deserve, there never seems to be enough time in the day to get it all done. We know the pressure can be overwhelming. That's why we're sharing 4 simple ways to simplify your work day!
10 Easy Ways to Improve Your Practice Marketing
“Marketing” can be a scary word that brings about thoughts of expensive mailers and little return. But when you put effort into the right marketing strategies, your business grows. Marketing is essential to recruiting new patients and creating a loyal base. And we have a few easy tips to help you make great strides towards those marketing goals.
Put Patients at Ease with Creature Comforts
Many people struggle with dental anxiety – especially children. But if we can help ease a patient during their visit, they're more likely to come back. Think about your favorite restaurant, or that cute bed and breakfast you love to visit.
How to Ensure Patient Satisfaction In a Changing Healthcare Environment
The healthcare industry has experienced rapid changes in recent years, and along with it a portion of government plan reimbursements as well as some private plan reimbursements are now tied to how well your practice scores on assessments of patient satisfaction.
Acing Office Decor on a Budget: An Expert Weighs In
Does your waiting room make the right first impression? If you're holding onto worn furniture, dated decor or harsh lighting, the positivity and wellbeing you think you're promoting may not be how patients actually perceive your level of care.
Questioning Your Office Morale? Get More from Your Team with These Small Tweaks
If your office has recently lost its normal buzz of light hearted chatter and high customer service ratings, you could have a morale problem on your hands.
How to Leave A Lasting Impression After Your Patients Walk Out The Door
Practices these days are spending 5-10 times more to get a new patient into the office than they do to retain the ones they already have. Could you be missing one of the simplest methods to reducing costs and increasing revenue, at the door?
5 Affordable Solutions to Branding Your Practice
An office with poor brand identity won't be able to answer. Without branding to set your practice apart, patients see the difference in your price instead of your care.
Is Your Practice Making The Most of Patient Giveaways?
Have you ever stopped to think what your practice gains when you make a child smile with a prize or send mom home with goodie bags for the family? Prizes aren't only an investment to demonstrate the goodwill of your practice...
Patient Satisfaction Has Never Been More Important To Your Practice
In any business, customer satisfaction is key; after all, a satisfied customer is virtually a guaranteed ticket to repeat sales, not to mention that all-important word-of-mouth that can bring new customers to the business...
Event Marketing 101
A strategic marketing plan for your dental practice requires a variety tactics. With comprehensive practice marketing, you can reach out to current patients as well as prospective patients through traditional advertising like radio...
The Importance of Building Your Brand
A strong brand identity helps your practice stand out from the competition and is essential for reaching prospective patients as well as maintaining current patients. The right custom practice marketing products make it easy to present..
The Importance of Patient Retention (And How to be Successful)
New patients are essential to grow your dental practice. However, retaining your current patients is just as crucial. Not only do you want your current patients to return, you also want these happy, satisfied patients to encourage their family and friends...
Practice Marketing 101
A successful balance of maintaining and acquiring new patients is essential for any dental practice. In the 1950s there were about 155,000 dental personnel offering services in the United States...
